Gift of the Givers deployed to help close to 1500 displaced people in Kayamandi
There was total destruction in the Kayamandi informal settlement, where close to 1500 people were displaced on Sunday.
Over 300 informal structures were razed to the ground and over 1,000 people left homeless when a blaze ripped through Kayamandi informal settlement in Stellenbosch on the night of 6 April 2024. Picture: Supplied
Lester Kiewit speaks to Ali Sablay, Gift of the Givers Operations Manager.
This past weekend (6-7 April) brought strong winds, heavy rain and level nine weather warnings to the Western Cape.
One of the areas left most vulnerable by the storm is Kayamandi, an informal settlement in Stellenbosch.
Sablay reports that excessive winds resulted in fire spreading, leaving about 300 structures burnt and close to 1500 people displaced.
He relays what he and other Gift of the Givers members saw on site...
"When we arrived on site [Kayamandi], the wind picked up and metal sheets were blowing all over the place. We urged community members to evacuate to a community hall as metal sheets already injured one person by cutting his face. The local municipality and the Premier visited the site and made additional halls available for the people to use. These people faced a double blow - their places have been burnt out and with the weather situation, they are challenged with a race against time to get proper accommodation."
Ali Sablay, Operations Manager - Gift of the Givers
Sablay says Kayamandi is not the only affected area the Gift of the Givers team have been deployed too.
The team is splitting up to help with the following situations:
- People who had their crutches blown away.
- Around 3300 people in Lwandle/Nomzamo area who need help.
- Trees falling on structures in Somerset West, flattening almost 20 structures.
- Those with damaged homes in the Drakenstein area.
- Localised flooding in Khayelitsha and Macassar.
Sablay says the most important thing Gift of the Givers tries to encourage communities most affected by the storm is to evacuate their homes "because with the level nine warning, things can get fatal."